Independent Critic - Senegalo-Gambian relations sustain a dent The Independent <http://www.qanet.gm/Independent/independent.html> (Banjul) June 5, 2000 By D.A. Jawo Banjul - It is indeed quite interesting to hear the newly elected Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade accuse The Gambia and Guinea Bissau of obtaining arms from Libya and probably by implication using those to support the MFDC insurgency in the Casamance. This is particularly significant in view of the prominent role that President Jammeh and his regime had played in trying to bring lasting peace to that troubled region of Senegal. It however seems to explain the apparent sidelining of The Gambia in the Casamance issue since the coming into office of President Wade a couple of months ago. This is indeed a serious challenge to President Jammeh and his regime to prove to the Senegalese authorities and the rest of the international community that they were quite genuine in their mediation efforts and not merely using that as a smokescreen to support the rebels. There may not be any tangible evidence of any clandestine links between the APRC regime and the Casamance rebellion, but there is no denying the fact that the MFDC rebels are quite at home in this country and that they enjoy a lot of sympathy and support, particularly among the people of Foni. It is also a fact that the MFDC have a presence at the Atlantic Hotel for quite sometime now (I wonder at whose expense). Therefore, when we consider that the Atlantic Hotel now belongs to the Libyans, then we tend to see some apparent connection between the Casamance issue and the Libyans. However, whether or not The Gambia and Guinea Bissau regimes have any part to play in that is not quite evident. Although the reports that rebels and their sympathisers have been found with Gambian identity documents does not seem to help the Gambian position. The authorities therefore need to investigate how these people managed to obtain those documents and take appropriate measures to ensure that such possibilities are minimised in the future. It is quite true also that since coming to power in 1994, President Jammeh and some senior members of his regime have visited Libya on numerous occasions, even before The Gambia became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, contrary to what Foreign Secretary M.L Sedat Jobe seems to suggest. Whether or not they had been obtaining arms from Libya is not obvious, but considering Libya's international reputation, such frequent visits are bound to provoke some suspicions among our neighbours. This is quite reminiscent of this regime's role in helping to prop up the discredited regime of the Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha, even when the rest of the civilised world was trying to isolate it. Indeed, we have already experienced the havoc unleased on some innocent Gambians by thugs of the defunct (?) July22nd Movement, many of whom were alleged to have been trained in Libya, and most of whom are still around and quite active in their nefarious escapades. The Gambia and Senegal are too close geographically, socially and ethnically to allow any political problems to dent the special relationship that exits between our two countries. We are just like two sides of the same coin and as such, our two regimes need to coordinate their foreign policies in order to reflect those close bonds of relationship that exist between the two nations and to avoid any misunderstanding which is certainly not in interest of our two peoples who virtually belong to same extended family. There is no doubt that there had existed a great deal of love lust between the MFDC and the former military junta of Guinea Bissau led by Ansumana Mane; therefore, if the APRC regime had been seen to closely consult with the junta on the Casamance issue, then the Senegalese authorities had a genuine cause to be suspicious of any possible ulterior motives. Copyright (c) 2000 The Independent. Distributed via Africa News Online (www.africanews.org). For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------